Montreal-based Compulsion Games, makers of South of Midnight, has completed a management buyout and is no longer part of the Microsoft group.
The news, broken by Gamesbeat, confirms previous reports that they would go indie rather than be culled as part of Microsoft’s massive restructuring. They have also regained the rights to all of their games, so any purchases of these will now directly fund the studio.
“I can confirm we have regained ownership of our IP, and that the publishing rights are transferring back to Compulsion. It’s just that there’s a transition period where that happens with different platform holders,” said CEO Guillaume Provost. “Buying the games is supporting the studio as a result of that change.”
“I did this deal for the team first and foremost. I asked the team, ‘Do you want to stay together?’ The team told me we would rather eat rocks and drink gasoline rather than be split up,” Provost said.
Compulsion will continue to work on a game that was in development for Microsoft, but Proust wants to take time to ensure the studio’s future is secure. “I just want to make sure that we’re setting the team up for success,” he said. “We’re going to take things slow. We’re going to meet with everyone.”
“Everything is relative. Compared to all of us losing our jobs on July 6, this is a pretty good deal. I would say the exit was gracious on Microsoft’s part,” he added.
We – rather ironically now – called South of Midnight “another unmissable step on Microsoft’s path to redemption” in our review. The game was originally an Xbox exclusive but came to PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 this year.
South of Midnight Review
In our South of Midnight review, Dom said, “The Southern Gothic aesthetic is wholly under-explored in gaming. Because of that, South of Midnight feels utterly refreshing and genuinely magical and mysterious. In turn, Hazel is an undeniably compelling character, and you can’t help but want to see how her journey plays out. It’s yet another unmissable step on Microsoft’s path to redemption.”
Source: Gamesbeat
